





Sharpen your sword and dust off your high school copy of The Odyssey for the second time this year: Both seasons of Percy Jackson and the Olympians are now on Netflix. The series follows 12-year-old Percy (Walker Scobell) as he learns that he’s a demigod — and that he’s been accused of stealing something vital from the king of gods, Zeus (played by Lance Reddick in Season 1 and Courtney B. Vance in Season 2). So, to find the real culprit and prove his innocence, he takes off on a rip-roaring adventure with his new pals: a satyr named Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri) and Athena’s daughter, Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava’ Jeffries).
If you’re down for an epic quest, read on to learn more before you embark on your journey.
Co-created by former teacher turned novelist Rick Riordan and Jonathan E. Steinberg (Black Sails), the first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians adapts Riordan’s first book in the Percy Jackson series, The Lightning Thief. The second season follows the second book, The Sea of Monsters. (Previously, the books were adapted into two films in the early aughts.) The series has seven novels in total and was inspired in part by Riordan’s son.
Greek gods and mortals get together pretty frequently, both in the ancient myths and in the series, resulting in offspring who are demigods — aka half-god, half-mortal beings with enhanced senses and reflexes. So you can imagine the kids of gods like Athena (Andra Day), Ares (Adam Copeland), Hermes (Lin-Manuel Miranda), and Poseidon (Toby Stephens) are especially savvy in their godly parents’ expertise.
While the Greek gods used to kick it on Mount Olympus, their seat of power has shifted in this series to New York City. And what do a bunch of godly, absentee NYC parents do with their superpowered kiddos? Enroll them in summer camp on Long Island, of course! Camp Half-Blood is a magically protected refuge for demigods, run by camp director Dionysus, aka Mr. D (Jason Mantzoukas), with help from activities director Chiron (Glynn Turman), a centaur.
The series doesn’t leave its YA roots behind when spinning tales about the 21st-century lives of mythic monsters like the minotaur, cyclops, furies, and even Medusa herself. Everything from Percy’s trusty sword, Riptide, to Annabeth’s magic baseball cap have connections to Greek mythology — with a family-friendly twist.
























































